Tanzania: A Biking & Hiking Cultural Safari Experience

The Main house of the lodge was built in 1905, and it still retains many of the original features. Long colonial verandas stretch along the front of the house. There is a bar next to the reception as well as a fireplace in the living room. Furnished with stone benches and leather cushions, it is decorated with antiques commemorating Tanzania’s German colonial past. The 10 garden rooms are nested in the tranquil gardens with beautiful views of bougainvillaea and jacaranda from private verandahs. Rooms have Zanzibar beds and interiors are individually decorated with ethnic fabrics and handmade furniture like study tables and ottoman sofas. Each room has an en-suite toilet, a bath tub and a dressing room.

Tarangire Treetops sits serenely in a private game reserve bordering the Tarangire National Park. Tarangire is the sixth largest national park in Tanzania. The park is famous for its huge number of elephants, baobab trees and tree climbing lions. Visitors to the park can expect to see any number of resident zebra and wildebeest in addition to the less common animals. Other common animals include waterbuck, giraffe, and olive baboons. Home to more than 550 species, the park is a haven for bird enthusiasts who can expect so see dozens of species even in the dry season. The swamps are the focus of the largest selection of breeding birds anywhere in the world. Yellow-collared lovebirds are a common bird sighting in the trees along the Tarangire River. As you arrive at the Lodge, you are immediately greeted by a blaze of color and a host of smiles all of which belong to the local Maasai tribesmen who have become part of the enchanting story that is Tarangire Treetops. Centered about a Main Lodge - which itself encases a thousand year-old baobab tree - Tarangire Treetops comprises of 20 treehouses all of which are perched high above the ground in the broad bows of marula and baobab trees. Each treehouse boasts one of the largest bedrooms to be found in any camp or lodge in East Africa – each with a floor space of 700 square feet – and all with an exotic double shower en-suite bathroom. With furnishings that create warmth and demonstrate a commitment to local craftsmanship, the ‘up-in-the-air’ experience is completed by the open-fronted room design affording views across the Tarangire plains from an expansive but private balcony. Dining at Treetops sustains the momentum of undeniably memorable moments. Whether enjoying a lantern-lit dinner in a traditional boma echoing to the sounds of Maasai chants, or eating poolside by candlelight whilst a wealth of wildlife comes to drink at the lodge water hole, Treetops creates memories by the minute and in so many differing ways. The Tarangire ecosystem supports one of the highest densities of large ungulates in East Africa - in addition to harboring important populations of oryx and lesser kudu, the park is home to the largest population of elephants in northern Tanzania, now numbering close to 2500 individuals. There is no better way to get up close and personal to the wild than to take a walking safari. Feels the ancient earth beneath every step you take as you tread on the tracks of animals that have walked the same path minutes before. In the company of an experienced guide, learn about the flora as well as the fauna, and begin to understand the true majesty of the indigenous peoples that live and thrive on the land. Enjoy night game drives to view nocturnal animals, a rare and exciting adventure only available in the Tarangire Treetops area.

At the all-inclusive Lake Manyara Tree Lodge, you'll spend your days in search of lions, elephants, and baboons, and your nights sleeping in luxury high above the ground in a mahogany forest. Lake Manyara National Park in northern Tanzania draws visitors both for the geological splendors of the Great Rift Valley and the wildlife riches in the surrounding forests and plains. At Lake Manyara Tree Lodge, you'll enjoy both the epic scenery and the experience of an African safari. And you get to sleep in a tree. Of course these aren't your childhood tree forts. Each of the 10 stilted suites is tucked away from the others in the mahogany forest canopy. Privacy is guaranteed; good thing, as the exotic setting has been known to spark romance. Each suite has a private game viewing deck, dream-inducing beds, and an overhead fan for those warm, African nights. On safari, you'll go searching for large herds of elephants and buffalo, baboon troops of up to 200 animals, giraffes, wildebeests, hippos, and the king of the jungle. In fact, the area is known for its tree-climbing lions. But don't worry, they stay well away from the lodge. Lake Manyara Tree Lodge is the only lodge in Lake Manyara National Park in northern Tanzania. Besides the safari adventures, the local setting is an ideal home base for bird watching expeditions, picnicking around the lake, and hiking on the slope of the Great Rift Valley.

Set on the banks of a soda lake and looking up to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Kisima Ngeda Tented Camp is a stylish safari camp with plenty of wildlife and cultural activities.

Accommodations at the camp consist of seven spacious tents. Each tent has a thatched palm roof and sits on a wooden platform. The bedrooms include a comfy hand-carved bed and the en suite bathrooms have showers and plenty of hot water. However, the bed feature of the tents is the private veranda overlooking the seasonal soda lake.

The camp is located on the shores of Lake Eyasi, a beautiful and seasonal soda lake fed by a natural spring on the family-owned farm’s 200-acre property. The lake is a seasonal stop for migrating flamingos. Across the lake, the Alipi escarpment wall rises 2,000 feet up into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. While there are plenty of animals to see in the palm and acacia forests and the lake, the biggest draw to the area is the camp’s interactions with local Wahadzabe bushmen, the last few remaining hunter-gatherers.

The camp has plenty of activities to enjoy including mountain biking or hiking along the lakeside trails. Depending on the water levels, there is canoeing on the lake. But the most popular activities involve cultural interactions with the local tribes. The waDatoga people are a pastoral group like the Maasai, and it’s always interesting to visit the local Blacksmith or a Datoga boma. There are also trips into the bush with the nomadic, hunter-gatherer Hadza Bushmen who speak a unique click-language. The camp can generally arrange a trip to either go hunting with them or spend the morning gathering roots or seasonal fruits.

The main area of camp includes a cozy lounge making it the perfect spot to relax with a pre- or post-dinner drink. The dining area overlooks the lake with delicious, freshly cooked meals made with locally produced ingredients, including dairy products from the camp’s own cows and vegetables grown by nearby farms. There is also a full-service bar and refreshing pool for an afternoon dip during the heat of the day.

Lemala Ngorongoro is an intimate, seasonal camp set in a delightful, ancient acacia forest on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater next to the quiet Lemala access route. The camp offers accommodation under canvas in only 8 luxury tents (accommodating 16 to 20 guests) and 1 family tent (accommodating 4 to 5 guests), which ensures seclusion in a pristine forest environment. In the Great Rift Valley lies the wonderful Ngorongoro Crater, one of the wonders of the natural world. It is an extinct volcano that collapsed in on itself around 25 million years ago thus forming a vast superbowl where the largest permanent concentration of African game is on display. Each spacious tent is fitted with a gas heater, large single or king-size beds with warm duvets, wooden flooring with rugs, 24-hour solar lighting, en-suite bathrooms with a dressing area, flush toilet and a large safari shower. House alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and laundry are included. The mess tent is beautifully furnished with grand sofas, lamps, book shelves and corner cabinets in old wood, chests and rugs. In the evening, guests gather around the campfire for sundowners before dining under chandeliers, which is hosted by the camp manager. The camp works closely with the local Maasai community who often provide dances and talks on Maasai life, their cultures, traditions and ceremonies. Guests enjoy the opportunity to interact with the Maasai, learning more about their traditional lifestyles. Game drives from the camp may start as early as 6:15am and it only takes 15 minutes to descend onto the crater floor, the scenery is breathtaking and the wildlife abundant. Walks from the camp into the forest and along the crater rim together with an armed ranger and the Maasai gives guests spectacular panoramas of the crater and an insight into the forest-dwelling animals.

Lerai Camp is set up every step of the way on the trip. Complete with guest tents, cots, duvets, pillows, wash basins outside, and shared toilet and showers for every 2 tents. The camp has a crew and cook to look after your every need with food and drinks.

A very comfortable point-to-point trekking & safari camp!

Lake Natron Camp is located on the very edge of Lake Natron, this 10 tent luxury tented camp is perfectly situated for amazing adventures! Located within walking distance are the hominid footprints and Lake Natron where over 1 million flamingoes come to breed. It is also ideally situated as an ending point for the Empakai to Lake Natron Trek as well as a number of other activities and expeditions combined with northern Tanzania safaris.

Lake Natron Camp holds ten spacious guest tents, cleverly disguised under camouflaged shade netting. Each tent is comprised of a porch area, main bedroom and en-suite bathroom with a shower and eco toilet. The main bedroom is furnished with a comfy king size bed*, luxurious Egyptian linen and furniture made from greenwood.

A private path leads from each tent to our natural swimming pool in the spring-fed stream.

As the sun rises behind Gelai the mess tent fills with exquisite colours of orange and pink. Soon after, the strength of the sun heats the land quickly but the material of our tent is designed to keep you cool even during the hottest of days.

Guests can enjoy 360°views of the striking landscape that surrounds Lake Natron Camp. Look north to the lake where hundreds of thousands of flamingos come to breed; or to the south where Ol Doinyo Lengai dominates the landscape in every way. To the west, watch the sunset with a gin and tonic over the Masonic Mountain above the famous escarpment of the Great Rift Valley or just relax on our Bedouin style furniture (also made from waste plastic) and watch the world go by in one of the most peaceful environments you can imagine.

The mess is equipped with a bar, fridge, wifi and charging point for your cameras and phones. Please note this is the only place to “plug in” throughout the camp. Outside, guests can sit around the campfire in the evening and gaze at the millions of stars overhead from both the northern and southern hemisphere.